Chelsea boss Maresca left sore by relinquishing lead in FA Cup loss to Brighton
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was disappointed in his side throwing away an early lead as they slumped to a fourth round FA Cup exit at the hands of Brighton on Saturday.
The Blues found themselves ahead in the opening minutes after Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen parried a Cole Palmer cross into his own net.
But the lead was wiped out by Georginio Rutter’s delicate header and a controversial winner from Kaoru Mitoma, who received the ball following a Tariq Lamptey handball before finishing deftly with a chipped volley.
Chelsea must now redouble their efforts in the Premier League, where they are fourth, and the Europa Conference League, in which they have reached the knockout stages with a perfect record.
“The game was there for both teams,” head coach Maresca told Chelsea’s official website.
“The first half started in the right way for us. We had some more chances – we were in control. Probably the only shots on goal in the first and second half were the two goals. Sometimes that happens.
“In the first half we were in control, we could score some more goals, and then in the second half, after the goal we conceded – which was a clear handball – we had one or two more chances to score and we missed.
“We need to learn to win games
1-0 but, in the same way, in the last game against West Ham we were losing 1-0 and we won 2-1. It’s part of football – sometimes you are down and you win and sometimes you are up and you do not, like tonight.
“The only good thing, if there is something good after a defeat, is that we can focus on the Premier League and the Conference League now.
“We are going to be here again in one week and hopefully we can continue our journey in the Premier League, which until now has been very good.
“For me a good season is seeing the team improving game after game and going through difficult moments, because it is the only way we can bring this club to compete for something important.”
Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo referred to a lack of focus in his explanation of what caused the collapse.
He said: “We didn’t break them down and create good enough chances to secure the game and we got punished at the other end.
“I see it as a lapse of concentration sometimes. We just need to continue to push on and start the game well like we did today, then push that through for 90 minutes.
“We will come back stronger.”
Marco Silva felt his Fulham side were good value for their 2-1 win over Wigan in the FA Cup.
But the Portuguese boss added they should have killed the tie earlier to not leave themselves scrambling to defend a narrow lead.
PICTURE: ALAMY